As an entrepreneur, you’re no doubt in constant search of new ways to grow your business. But who wants to slog through another lengthy how-to book on the entrepreneurial process?

There’s another way. If you want some entertainment with your education, the documentary film may be your medium.

There’s no shortage of documentaries that convey what it’s like to be an entrepreneur. Which is a good thing because all too often entrepreneurs feel as if they’re alone in their experience, or unaware of what it takes to succeed. Here’s a roundup of upcoming small business-themed documentaries worth watching, if not for their festival buzz, then for their power to inspire.

1. Startupland

The plot: Structured like a television miniseries, Startupland consists of five major plotlines that unfold over multiple episodes. The series focuses on five early-stage tech companies in Washington, D.C. that are enrolled in an accelerator and going through growing pains.

The sell: Interviews with seasoned entrepreneurs such as Steve Case, Esther Dyson, and Alexis Ohanian make for some worthwhile teaching moments (and provide some star power).

The sell: If access to tech stars like Brad Feld and Makerbot CEO Bre Pettis doesn’t grab you, the case study of competition in a saturated market should hold your attention.

Where to watch: Netflix, later this year. The doc will also screen at the Independent Film Festival in Boston on April 27.

3. Dog Days

The plot: The website for the successful Kickstarter campaign, which generated $33,598 in funding in March 2013, describes it best: “An unemployed dreamer and a veteran hot dog vendor take a leap of faith to keep the American Dream afloat in a sinking industry.”

The sell: The tensions between restaurants and food truckers take center stage, as an East African immigrant, Siyone, and a neophyte cook named Coite try to diversify the foods offered by D.C. hot dog vendors.

Where to watch: According to its Facebook page, the film is set to premiere on April 15 at the Guthrie Theater for Grove City College.

4. Nothing to Lose: The Documentary

The plot: It’s the story of Ryan Blair, the single father of an autistic son, who beat the odds to become a serial entrepreneur worth millions.

The sell: Fans of Blair’s bestselling memoir Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain will enjoy seeing his story come to life on the screen.

Where to watch: In support of National Autism Awareness Month, Blair will donate $1 for every Like, share, or follow of the documentary to charities benefiting autism advocacy and research. The documentary was released on his site on April 9.

In keeping with the standard connotation of the term, Wikipedia defines entrepreneurship as the “process of identifying and starting a business venture, sourcing and organizing the required resources and taking both the risks and rewards associated with the venture.” We are all familiar with stories of successful entrepreneurs; indeed, how can we not be – magazines and books are filled with anecdotes and case studies of entrepreneurial folks whose example we are urged to follow…the inventors of a certain search engine being particularly favoured role models.

Yet, after we are done digesting the rhetoric of gurus and ghostwriters, we seem to be none the wiser. The stories, as entertaining as they are, fail to capture the essence of entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurs are those who care deeply about anomalies and have the ability to hold on to and think about them over extended periods of time. In doing so they sometimes resolve the anomalies that worry them, and are then recognized as entrepreneurs. However, there are many who struggle without success, and they are no less entrepreneurial than those who succeed. Such people, whether successful or not, necessarily possess a deep sense of the history of the problem they attempt to address. Indeed, this is must be so, for in resolving the anomaly they care about, they write another chapter of that history.

The essence of entrepreneurship is really many different parts which make up the whole. It isn’t a one dimensional expression but rather a composite of the best key ingredients which take advantage of capitalism and the free enterprise system.

Let’s take a glimpse at three key characters of the essence of entrepreneurship:

1. InnovationThe act or process of introducing new ideas, devices, or methods. Being able to notice and then desire to make changes is an equally important need. Because of that innate or developed ability, you may be able to discover how to produce better quality, bigger profits or more dominance in the marketplace. As a small and nibble business owner these often simple yet profound insights can be the difference between failure and success.

2. Opportunity SeekerBeing able to spot a future market interests or customer trend demands before others ever take notice. In essence you need to have the ability to get a sense of where business is likely to be heading in the coming years.

3. CourageIn order to take the plunge one must overcome and conquer some measure of fear about giving up total stability or security. Therefore an essential necessary element is that of having the courage to get started.

There are a lot of ways and attributes in order to become an entrepreneur. And its essence would differ dependent upon the person whom you ask. In any case, I picked up below some of the answers which pique my interest on Quora and here they are:

“Entrepreneurs are the trailblazers into the ever-changing wilderness of the needs and desires of the global consumer. They adapt by continuing to lean against the edges of their comfort zone. They refuse to be encumbered by the status quo. They are the masters of their own destiny and see themselves as the authors of possibility.”– Christopher Schuhmacher,

“A desire to change the world (or if you’re Elon Musk, the universe)”– Mike Moradi

“In essence it is willingness to do something considered not-possible…daring to the extent that he/she takes risk willingly putting a lot on stake….in common man language it is territory only treaded by insane…”–Chetan Khemlani

Content Marketing means creating and sharing valuable free content to attract and convert prospects into customers, and customers into repeat buyers. The type of content you share is closely related to what you sell; in other words, you’re educating people so that they know, like, and trust you enough to do business with you.

If you’re interested in marketing your business online you can’t escape hearing about content marketing. It’s everywhere you look, or listen.

You’ve most likely heard the term content marketing thrown around industry events, your favourite trade magazine or maybe even a few of your close business associates have referenced content marketing as a tool for growing their own business.

But the most important question is: Does content marketing work?

We all know the story of HubSpot, the Boston-based marketing software company that practically invented content marketing. They generate about 50,000 leads per month for their business by developing and distributing e-books, infographics, blog posts and other pieces of content marketing designed to drive new leads to their website.

But driving a lead to a website is one thing. Actually converting that lead into a customer is another.

The horrible answer is, it depends.

Content marketing done right, works everytime.

Content marketing could either be the best thing ever or just a waste of time. It all starts with great content followed up by a well-planned and well-executed marketing plan.Sebastian Johnsson – Creator of Smartlend.se, Sweden’s leading comparison website for smslånand snabblån.

In a recent study done by the Content Marketing Institute, 42% of B2B companies consider their content marketing efforts effective, up from 36% the year prior.

The “publish and pray” method implemented by businesses attending to DIY content marketing, does not work. At least it does not work well enough to produce any time of positive ROI. Truthfully, it’s not the companies fault, its the “just hit publish” advice spread throughout the Internet by hack content marketing consultants.

Our friends at Atlanta-based advertising agency and digital marketing firm MLT Creative have answered that question in the infographic below. The data was gathered at the HubSpot Inbound Marketing Conference and compiled by the good folks at MLT.

Here are just some of the facts and figures about content marketing and inbound marketing that you’ll find in the infographic:

Growth: Marketers using inbound marketing have grown from 60% of those surveyed in 2013 to 80% of those surveyed in 2014.

Cost Per Lead: The average cost per lead for B2B companies using inbound marketing was typically less than half of what the cost per lead was for those not using inbound marketing.

Prioritization: Marketers prioritizing inbound marketing are 13 times more likely to enjoy positive ROI than those not prioritizing inbound marketing.

The most successful Content Marketing campaigns always originate from within. This is called, “Insourcing.” You know your business, your customers, the questions they ask and the problems your company solves better than any outside source.

But if your business is going to be successful, everyone must believe in content marketing. When entire organizations embrace the content marketing culture there is a stream of content, which consistently converts visitors in leads, and leads in sales.